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The star clusterKṛttikāSanskrit: कृत्तिका, pronounced[kr̩ttɪkaː], popularlytransliteratedKrittika), sometimes known asKārtikā, corresponds to theopen star cluster calledPleiades in westernastronomy; it is one of the clusters which makes up the constellationTaurus. InIndian astronomy andJyotiṣa (Hindu astrology) the name literally translates to "the cutters".[1][2] It is also the name of itsgoddess-personification, who is a daughter ofDaksha[3] andPanchajani, and thus a half-sister toKhyati. Spouse of Kṛttikā isChandra ("moon"). Thesix Krittikas who raised the Hindu GodKartikeya are Śiva, Sambhūti, Prīti, Sannati, Anasūya and Kṣamā.[4]
In Hindu astrology,Kṛttikā is the third of the 27nakṣatras. It is ruled by Sun.Under the traditional Hindu principle of naming individuals according to their Ascendant/Lagnanakṣatra, the followingSanskrit syllables correspond with thisnakṣatra, and would belong at the beginning of the first name of an individual born under it: A (अ), I (ई), U (उ) and E (ए).
